


In Another World

by NeuroWriter14



Series: Chronicles From Hell [4]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:36:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3416096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeuroWriter14/pseuds/NeuroWriter14





	In Another World

Rick sat at his desk in the sheriff's department. They weren't letting him go onto active duty for another week yet after he came back from his coma. Rick thought it was outrageous. He should have been able to go back to work right away, he was fine. Anyway, he sat tapping a pen on his desk, sifting through files and putting them in the computer. Apparently since he had been out the department had decided to go paperless. That was brilliant, Rick sighed. No way anyone could ever hack the system. Rick ran a hand through his hair and continued the tedious task.

After work he headed home. Lori was there, with a big smile to greet him, a little Judith in her arms reaching for Rick, squealing. Rick pulled his daughter into his arms. Little Judith was born while Rick was in his coma. She was almost a year old now, and Rick had been out for two years. It was perfectly logical that she was his daughter until one looked closely and saw features that were distinctly his partner's, Shane. But Rick said nothing, just pulled the little girl into his arms and hugged her tightly. 

Carl came out to show him the 100% he achieved on an essay. Rick hugged his son tightly before offering to take him and the little girl in his arms out for ice cream. Lori disapproved but Rick didn't care. 

A week later, Rick was out patrolling, happy do be doing what he did best. The sheriff's deputy sat in his car alone, which probably wasn't the best idea for someone just returning to the job, but it wasn't like he cared. It was quiet out there. For a moment anyway.

A call came over the scanner for a hardware store near Rick's position of a man, balding in his thirties robbing the store for tools and money. Rick responded that he'd be there and the dispatcher told him to wait for backup. But Rick was already on his way. 

Siren's blaring, the deputy pulled into the hardware store parking lot, and drew his gun. He slowly entered the building and saw the gun man. His voice was a weird combination of gruff and high. He pointed a shot gun at the patrons in the store and ordered that they finish putting all the money in the bag. 

Rick checked around, careful to avoid being seen, to see if the man had any companions. It was just him. 

"This is the police. Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air." The deputy shouted. The gunman looked for the source. "Make me!" He shouted back. "Sir, put the gun down, back away, and put your hands on your head." 

"I ain't doin' nothin' you say!" The bald man answered. 

A shot was fired and the balding man keeled over. "You shot me you son of a bitch." Rick handcuffed the man and pulled away everything that belonged to the store. Other officers arrived as Rick put the culprit into the back of his car. "Guess the prodigal son has returned." Shane muttered as he pushed past Rick.

The drive back to the station was quiet, the man in the back refusing to say anything. He was processed quickly and Rick pushed him into an empty cell in the station. He would be transferred to Atlanta in the morning. "Hey you." The bald man called. "Yeah you, Officer Friendly." Rick turned around. "I get a phone call." 

Rick didn't hear much from the call, just the opening. "Hey baby brother. Listen, I'm in jail..."

"Merle Dixon." Rick had been talking to the analyst who ran the balding man's prints. "Says here he his only living relative is a younger brother by the name of Daryl Dixon." The deputy ran a hand through his hair. "This guy's got quite a reputation." They looked through the listen of crimes Merle was wanted for. "He won't be getting out any time soon." 

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the clerk's desk up front. Rick ran to help calm the situation.

Daryl was much bigger than his brother. His muscles protruded from the t-shirt he had on under an angel wing vest. His long hair fell across his face and he had a dirty blond beard and mustache. His cobalt eyes blazed. "I want to see my brother!" The officer up front looked flustered "Listen, Mr. Dixon, we need you to calm down." Daryl fumed, "Ta hell with me calmin' down. I want to see my brother." 

Rick was taken aback immediately by the beauty that was the angry redneck. But the feeling didn't stay long as the man began to charger toward the desk. "Whoa!" The deputy moved and put himself between the charging man and the desk. His hands were touching Daryl's chest, but he didn't have time to think about that. "Hey! Hey!" Rick got into Daryl's face. "You need to calm down, now."

\------

Daryl froze in place when the man stepped in front of him. God he was beautiful. His dark curls combined with his royal blue eyes made him a walking contrast, a contrast which baffled the redneck immediately. He stopped in his tracks, at a lost for words with the Greek God in front of him.

Merle would probably make fun of him, but Daryl was smarter than he let on. He had taken his studies into his own hands. Which angered his father when he came home and found Daryl reading a variety of books. His father didn't take to kindly to Daryl trying to better himself. Guess the drunk bastard though Daryl was trying to out do him. 

Daryl stood, shocked by the man. They were roughly the same height so they looked each other eye to eye. It took a moment for the man in front of him to take his hand's off the redneck's chest, but Daryl immediately missed the contact. Then he chided himself. Can't be pining after another man. 

"I want my brother." His voice was barely above a whisper and the god in front of him merely nodded. "Ok. But you can't stay long and you have to promise not to stir up any more trouble." The younger man nodded.

The deputy took him into the holding area where Daryl immediately rushed to his brother. They didn't hug, but whispered back and forth to one another at the bars. 

Daryl had to leave all too soon, but Merle gave him a slight pat on the arm, "Don't you worry about me baby brother. I been in jail before." 

Daryl trudged out of the sheriff's department, very aware of the god like man following him. Daryl decided the man most resembled Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. As the redneck straddled the motorcycle that belonged to his brother, the officer came up to him. 

"I'll do what I can to make sure he's given a fair trial." And that was all Poseidon said as he hustled back inside.

Daryl was shocked.

The next day, Daryl came back in the morning to see his brother before he was taken to Atlanta. He sat at a distance as Merle was escorted out of the station. He was gently placed in a squad car and Merle looked out the window to where Daryl sat, giving him a reassuring nod. The officer who escorted Daryl looked up and Daryl could see the earthly Poseidon give him a slight nod. Daryl nodded back and the deputy slid into his car.

\------

"Do me a favor, Officer Friendly." Merle Dixon said from the back seat. Rick looked at him in the rear view mirror. "Why should I do you any favors?" Merle huffed. "Just keep an eye on my brother. Make sure he don't get in any trouble." The deputy didn't answer but pursed his lips and kept driving.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rick noted Merle's surprise. "Why not? Got nothing better to do." Rick gave a slight laugh. "What were you stealing that stuff for?" Merle was silent a moment before he answered. "My brother works with his hands well, I thought I'd give him something to do." 

Rick and Merle were silent after that.

Rick thought about Daryl Dixon the entire drive back. The younger Dixon brother had infected his mind since the first moment the redneck came into his life. Rick chided himself mentally, he couldn't fall for a guy whom he barely knew when he had a wife and two kids at home. 

Rick's shift ended and he went home to find it empty with a note from Lori saying that they went to visit her parents for the day and would be back late that night. Inwardly, the deputy gave a sigh of relief, as he pulled off his clothes and slid into a pair of shorts. He immediately climbed into bed and fell asleep. 

Two times seeing the younger man and he was already in Rick's dreams. They were just talking over lunch. Each had a burger, nothing fancy. It was easy chit chat, nothing spectacular. It was easy to talk to Daryl. Rick found himself smiling at almost everything Daryl said. The younger man had him captivated. 

Daryl told him about how he had made a bird feeder and every day this same swallow came and sat at the feeder for a few minutes. Rick was grinning like a fool when a shot echoed through the restaurant. The deputy side of him immediately took over as he went to protect the younger redneck across from him. But it was too late. Another shot was fired and Daryl slumped over in his seat.

Rick woke up in a cold sweat. Lori was next to him in the bed and he immediately felt ashamed. Here he was dreaming about losing another man when the woman he married was sleeping right next to him. The greying man sighed to himself and lied back down next to his wife, draping his arm over her sleeping form.

\------

Daryl was surprised when a knock echoed through the rundown shack he lived in. The roof creaked and seemed as if it would collapse with the knock. Daryl sighed. If Merle had succeeded, they could have pulled another few years out of this dump. But Daryl would have to leave in the next few weeks before it collapsed on his head.

The younger Dixon opened the door to find Poseidon standing in the doorway. "What do you want?" Daryl asked a bit harshly. The truth was, even though this man arrested his brother, the younger Dixon felt no malice toward him. But that didn't stop the venom in his voice. "I brought you some stuff." The deputy said and he stepped aside to show the tools and supplied Merle had tried to steal for them. "You didn't have to do that." Daryl mumbled. "'M not a charity case." But the older man just raised an eyebrow. "Not charity." Was all he said.

The deputy had turned to go when Daryl, not really knowing why, stopped him. "Look. I can't do this by myself." What're you doing Dixon? "Could ya stay and help?"

Rick appeared happy to do so. 

They worked until the sun went down and Rick left Daryl with a better house than when he arrived. Daryl smiled to himself as he watched the officer drive away. 

The younger man fell asleep thinking of the officer he had spent the entire day with.

Over the next few weeks, Daryl and Rick spent a lot of time together. It seemed to Daryl that all of Rick's free time was spent with him. Not like Daryl was complaining. 

One day, they sat at Daryl's house having a beer when Rick started to talk, "Things at home aren't doing too well." Daryl took a swing of his beer. He wasn't drunk enough to think about the wife and kids of the man he was clearly falling in love with. "What's going on?" Rick sighed. "Lori has been spending more and more time away from the house. She's been taking the kids with her a lot. I have a feeling she's cheating on me with my former best friend." 

They sat in silence drinking their beers. "I gotta go." Rick said after a moment. The redneck simply nodded and watch Rick drive away.

\-------

Rick had hoped that Daryl would do something when he told him about Lori, but Daryl said nothing. Rick was hoping he would. Hoping the feelings he had developed for the cobalt eyed man would be reciprocated. But they weren't.

Rick didn't see Daryl for a week. He buried himself so deeply in his work, he slept at the station. 

When he finally came home, there was a note from Lori on the counter. 

Taking the kids. Want a divorce. This isn't working anymore.  
-Lori

Rick found the largest bottle of vodka he had and proceeded to drink the entire thing. 

Somehow, he found himself on Daryl's doorstep, pounding on the door at three in the morning. Daryl opened it, the sleep still obvious in his eyes. "Lori left me. Took the kids and was gone." The deputy pushed his way inside the house. The younger man shut the door behind him. 

\------

"And the worse thing is, I don't care." Daryl raised an eyebrow. "You're drunk, Rick." But Rick wasn't listening. He went over to the bows and arrows on the wall. "You're like Apollo." He muttered slightly. "Really?" The redneck muttered, "I've always thought of you as Poseidon." A smile came across the deputy's face. "Why don't you care that Lori left you?" Daryl asked after a moment. "Because I'm in love with someone else."

Daryl's heart rate quickened. "Who?" He asked. The older man suddenly rounded on him and pushed the redneck against the wall. His royal blue eyes blazed before his lips pressed against Daryl's.

\------

Through his drunken stupor, Rick wondered if he was wrong about Daryl, that Daryl didn't feel the same way. But the younger man's lips moved. And Rick pinned him against the wall and kissed him harder. The archer's arms came around him. They kissed up against the wall. Rick had Daryl caged but their kissed changed. It went from hard, demanding kisses to softer and more tender. They moved into Daryl's bedroom and Rick lied Daryl down on the bed.

Their hands explored one another as they took of each other's clothing one layer at a time. Daryl apparently had wanted this as much as Rick did because he pressed a bottle of lube into Rick's hands. Rick smiled against the younger man's lip.

The deputy moved down to the younger man's lower half and took his cock in his mouth. The older man sucked down Daryl's erection while he spread Daryl carefully. Daryl groaned and thrust into Rick's mouth, riding his fingers at the same time. Rick moved up to Daryl's mouth and kissed him as he slid his cock into Daryl's ass. 

"God you're tight." The godlike man moaned into his archer's mouth. He let Daryl adjust then began to move slowly, creating friction on the younger Dixon's cock. Their fingers intertwined and they moaned against each other's mouth. Rick moved and kissed Daryl's jaw and neck before sucking a mark onto one side of his neck. "You're mine now." He growled possessively. Daryl moaned, "Oh god yes." 

\------  
They moved as one, their bodies fitted perfectly together. The archer's legs were wrapped around his warrior's waist. Rick reminded Daryl of a roman warrior. Their hands were clasped tightly and they came at the same time, moaning hotly into one another's mouths. "I love you Daryl Dixon." Rick said against his throat. "I love you too Rick Grimes." Daryl whispered back.

They fell asleep in each other's arms. 

\-----

The next day Rick woke up thinking the day before had been a dream. His head ached from his drinking but a smile pulled his lips when he saw the younger man in his arms. The deputy held him tighter. Daryl groaned, "Go back to sleep Rick." Rick kissed his archer. 

"Move in with me." Daryl's eyes flew open. "You serious?" The Poseidon like man nodded. "Oh--ok." Rick grinned. 

\------

Rick woke with a start and Daryl shifted. "What's wrong?" They were in a worn down shack with the others, except for Michonne, asleep. Rick and Daryl were draped in Daryl's poncho. Rick's head was in the crook of Daryl's arms. 

Daryl shifted in his sleep and linked his fingers with Rick's. "I was just dreaming of you and I meeting in a world not so screwed up." Rick saw a smile pull across his husband's lips. "If only." 

Rick looked down at Daryl's hand. Since Daryl had proposed to him, they had broken into a jewelry store and found the last two men's rings there were. They were married two days earlier. Now Rick and Daryl were inseparable. 

The leader and his archer. 

It was a quick ceremony. Carl gagged which just made the two kiss more. Their wedding was proof there was still good in the messed up world they lived in. They had separated themselves from the group for the night and had probably the best sex ever. And tonight, they were in each other's arms, sleeping closely.

Daryl kissed Rick's head. "I love you Mr. Dixon." The grin on Rick's face made it feel like it was going to break. "I love you too Mr. Dixon." Rick had taken Daryl's last name because he wanted to give himself completely to Daryl. 

And Daryl took him completely. 

And in the world they lived in, they were actually happy.


End file.
